Earthworking implements, such as buckets for loaders and excavators, bulldozers blades or rippers for tractors, bowls for scrapers and other earthworking machines commonly employ ground engaging tools that engage the earth being worked or materials being excavated or loaded. Because of the highly abrasive materials encountered, ground engaging tools wear out rapidly and need to be replaced in order to protect the parent material of the implement and to keep the implement working at peak efficiency. Because of such frequent replacement, it is desirable to be able to quickly and easily remove the worn tool and replace it with a new one. Many types of retention devices, such as pins and the like, have been used in the past to retain the tool onto the implement or a tool mounting portion provided on the implement. Some typical examples of retention devices used for retaining bucket teeth are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,986 issued Dec. 3, 1991 to Larren F. Jones for Excavating Tooth Point Particularly Suited for Large Dragline Buckets; U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,824 issued Dec. 28, 1993 to Erwin D. Cornelius for Tooth Assembly with Leaf Spring Retainer; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,138 issued Jun. 13, 1995 to Richard E. Livesay, et al for Tip to Adapter Interface.
Many such prior retention devices perform satisfactorily, but are either complex and expensive, or require special tools or the large exertion of effort to remove and replace the retainers. Other retainers may simply fail during use due to the high loads exerted on such retainers during use, resulting in the loss of the tool from the implement.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems encountered in the use of prior art tools and retention devices.